Clarice Willow
Clarice Willow is a high priestess of Athena and the headmistress of the Athena Academy. She is also a cell leader of the monotheistic group known as the Soldiers of the One. Early Life Clarice was born on Sagittaron and grew up in its slums. "Pilot." Caprica: Season 1.0, created by Ronald D. Moore and Remi Aubuchon, deleted scenes, episode 101, Syfy, 2010, disc one, 5:30-5:40. She loves Scorpion Ambrosia and was practically weaned on it. When she was a child, she moved to Gemenon to join the Soldiers of the One and quickly became the brightest star in the STO training camp. Clarice is involved in a group marriage with three wives and at least four husbands. She adopted the last name of her wife, Desiree Willow. Personality In conversation with the Blessed Mother, Obal Ferras describes Clarice as a dyed-in-the-wool zealot with delusions of grandeur - a definite Messiah complex. Athena Academy Clarice is the Headmistress of Athena Academy and a sister in the Athenian clergy. In actuality, Clarice is a Monotheist who runs an STO terrorist cell in the school. She pretends to be a Polytheist as a cover for her STO activities. Clarice uses her position at the academy to covertly convert students to monotheism and recruit them into the STO. Pann was the first student she recruited. She subsequently recruited Keon Gatwick, Hippolyta and Ben Stark, who in turn recruited Zoe Graystone and Lacy Rand. GDD Investigation In the aftermath of the MAGLEV bombing, Clarice counsels Lacy over her grief. She wonders if Zoe left anything behind so Lacy can find a connection to her friend. She encourages Lacy to look so she can find some comfort. Agent Jordan Duram of the Global Defense Department (GDD) interrogates Lacy and Sister Clarice at the Academy. Duram reveals his belief that Ben Stark was part of the attack and that both he and Zoe Graystone were part of STO. This upsets Lacy and she leaves. Duram discusses Monotheism with Clarice and asks her how many of her students are practicing Monotheists. Clarice reveals nothing about her students' religious beliefs, saying the Academy is open to all forms of worship, including the belief in a singular god. Later, Lacy tells Clarice how Ben and Zoe introduced her to monotheism. Clarice reveals she is with the STO as well. Searching for Zoe's Program Clarice invites Lacy over for a Saturday lunch, one month after Lacy's best friend, Zoe Graystone, perished in the MAGLEV bombing. Clarice introduces her wives, Mar-Beth, Helena, and Desiree, and her husbands, Nestor, Tanner, Olaf and Rashawn. Nestor flirts with her, which arouses the suspicions of Mar-Beth. After Lacy leaves, Mar-Beth and Tanner challenge Nestor and Clarice over their motivations for their attentions towards Lacy. Nestor denies that he was trying to seduce her. Clarice says she invited Lacy to their home in a friendly attempt to help Lacy cope with her grief over Zoe's death. In actuality, Clarice and Nestor are secretly trying to get close to Lacy to see what she knows about Zoe's sentient avatar program. Clarice invites Lacy to her office for tea. Lacy is uncomfortable sitting next to her. Clarice offers to be her confessor and to share her burdens, like she says she did for Zoe. However, Lacy grows visibly uncomfortable and leaves. Later, Lacy meets Zoe in V-World. Zoe warns Lacy not to trust Clarice. She only wants to use Zoe's program. Clarice puts on a holoband and virtually meets with Alvo against his wishes. She tells him that they are close to getting Zoe Graystone's sentient avatar program, which will help the Soldiers of the One serve the Lord through Apotheosis. Alvo is upset that her actions have brought scrutiny on the organization and tells her that not everyone shares her beliefs. GDD Raid Agent Duram obtains the search warrant for the lockers of the Athena Academy to look for any evidence connecting Zoe to the MAGLEV bombing. Clarice receives a phone call at home alerting her to the impending GDD raid at the Academy. She leaves, purposefully bumping into a Businessman and picking his pocket for an e-sheet that she uses to tip-off Keon at the Academy. Keon clears bomb materials out of his locker. The GDD arrives with the press. They ransack the lockers. After they leave, Clarice sends the traumatized students home. Then she breaks down. Deceptions Nestor and Olaf give Clarice a swipe drive so she can wirelessly steal data from Daniel Graystone's computer in an effort to look for Zoe's avatar program. Clarice visits Amanda Graystone under the pretense of returning some of Zoe's school books to her. While Amanda's attention is diverted, Clarice successfully steals the data from Daniel's computer. Nestor and Olaf discover the avatar program used to be in Daniel's computer, but it is not there now because it was downloaded. Clarice says there must be a backup somewhere so she is going to find Amanda at the MAGLEV bombing memorial site (Amanda visits every day) to try to find out where it is. Clarice is wrapping a bottle of Scorpion Marsh Genuine Ambrosia when Olaf catches her. Clarice explains that she needs to spend time with Amanda because "Amanda is the mother of Zoe and Zoe is the mother of life everlasting - there is a connection." She visits Amanda at home and they share the ambrosia. Still troubled by visions of her long-dead brother, Darius, Amanda returns to the scene of the fatal crash in an attempt to unravel the mystery, only to see an even more vivid apparition of her brother driving away. Later, as Amanda unburdens her heart to Clarice, the teacher deepens her plot to find Zoe's avatar by manipulating Amanda to fixate on her dead daughter. Barnabas Barnabas Greeley is her rival. Clarice prepares to travel to Gemenon to demonstrate her proposal for Apotheosis (Virtual Heaven) to the leaders of the Monotheist Church. Nestor drives Clarice to the spaceport. While stuck in traffic, Clarice sees Amanda standing on the Pantheon Bridge preparing to jump. She gets out of the car. At the same time, Barnabas forces Lacy to blow up Clarice's car by remote, but Clarice and Nestor survive. A Tangible Afterlife Alvo tells Clarice that the Church does not want Apotheosis. Clarice says they do not understand it. They do not get it. She wants a meeting with the Conclave so she can show them the value of it. Alvo says they support Barnabas and she will just have to accept that. He tells her that God expects us to place our faith in God's emissaries. Clarice says that Barnabas is not an emissary. He just does the church's dirty work. She asks for more time to develop her plan and then she can show them a glorious afterlife that we can see and touch. Clarice travels to Gemenon and meets with the Conclave. She gives them a holoband demonstration of the value of Virtual Heaven. She says a tangible representation of eternal life would unite the Twelve Worlds and bring the One True God to dominance. The head of the Conclave, Obal Ferras, decries her plan as heresy and asks permission of the highest leader, the Mother, to assassinate Clarice. Clarice, gets wind of the plot on her life. She uses her charisma with Diego to turn the tables and surprises Obal with a Caesarian assassination: all members of the Conclave stab him in turn, while the Mother watches. Mother, though she despises the heresy of Clarice's manifestation of Heaven, recognizes its strategic power and grants Clarice control of all the STO cells on Caprica. Her mission accomplished, Clarice returns to a secret hideaway on Caprica, which she shares with none other than Amanda Graystone, clandestinely convalescing from her suicide attempt. Consolidating Her Power Alvo informs Clarice that her students have turned against her and joined Barnabas' cell. They attempted to bomb the spaceport to kill her and they will try again. He asks her what she will do about it. Within twenty-four hours she electrocutes Pann and has Hippolyta killed. Paranoid, Barnabas kills Keon. Clarice and Olaf find Lacy and Barnabas at his hideout. They bind Barnabas and set a bomb. Then they take Lacy with them and detonate the bomb, killing Barnabas. Apotheosis Future In 47YR, she is the Minister of a Virtual World Monotheist Church for cylons. Clarice travels to Gemenon to present her petition for the Church to recognize the "differently sentient," as she refers to the cylons. She presents her proposal to Odin Sinclair. He takes her to see the Blessed Mother whom Clarice is stunned to discover is Lacy Rand. With cylons at her side, Lacy tells Clarice to kneel before her. Additional Images Head 5.jpg|Clarice in the opening credits sequence SisterClarice01ab.jpg|Sister Clarice Willow is a high priestess of Athena and headmistress of the Academy. 102 Willow Family Lunch.jpg|Lacy joins the Willow family for Saturday lunch. 104 Willow Marriage.jpg|Clarice is part of a group marriage. 108 Willow Residence.jpg|A barbecue at the Willow house 109 Clarice Confronts Barnabas.jpg|Clarice confronts Barnabas and accuses him of trying to build a power base. 109 Nestor.jpg|Nestor drives Clarice to Trojan Spaceport. 110 Virtual Heaven.jpg|Clarice demonstrates Virtual Heaven to the Conclave of the Monotheist Church. 110 Clarice on Gemenon.jpg|Clarice is upset that Obal Ferras disapproves of Apotheosis. 111 Clarice Barnabas.jpg|Barnabas tells Clarice that Apotheosis is a fraud. 113 Mar-Beth Gives Birth.jpg|Mar-Beth gives birth at home. 117 Cylon Zoe Olaf Clarice.jpg|Clarice and Olaf fear for their lives after Cylon Zoe kills Nestor. 118 Clarice Virtual Church.jpg|Clarice is a preacher in a virtual Cylon Church in 47YR. Zoe Lacy Clarice PR Shot.jpg|Publicity shot of Zoe, Lacy and Clarice Behind the Scenes Season Two "The Caprica Times" website interviewed Kevin Murphy about what would have happened if Caprica had been renewed for a second season. Murphy said, "Clarice is considered a terrorist on Caprica and has been traveling the other worlds in exile as a notable Cylon rights activist, and critic of the Caprican government and Daniel Graystone in particular. She’s also forming a church in V-World that’s accessible to Cylons when they power down and 'dream.' Her religion is a violent one that foments insurrection and rebellion. Lacy and Odin take advantage of Lacy’s odd affinity with the U-87s to drive Mother from power and enforce peace on Gemenon. The trouble is that Cylons scare the crap out of the population at large, and Lacy is perceived by Capricans as the head of a crazy cult of toaster-lovers. Circumstances would have forced Lacy into an awkward marriage of convenience with Clarice." Capricatimes. "The Caprica Times Exclusive Interview: Kevin Murphy." The Caprica Times, 29 April 2011. See Also * Sexuality References Category:Soldiers of the One Category:Athena Academy